Rotary friction sealer



., 11,, 195.6 N. LANEs 2,757,496

ROTARY FRICTION SEALER Filed June 3, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NHT FIN LHNES win mummy 7,, 1956 N. LANES 2,757,495

ROTARY FRICTION SEALER Filfid June 3, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 RUTARY IFRICTHQN SEALER Nathan Lanes, New York, N. i[.

Application .lune 3, 1953, Serial No 359,403

t Claims. (Cl. 53-76) This invention relates to a device for sealing pour openings of containers and more particularly to a device wherein the sealing elements are actuated by engagement with containers disposed upon a moving conveyor.

It is an object of this invention to provide a sealer for pour openings of containers, said sealer being actuated by engaging a moving container.

It is a further object of this invention to dispose a plurality of radially oriented magnetic sealer elements upon a wheel.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a push plate associated with individual magnetic seal retaining elements, said push plate being adapted to engage a portion of a moving container.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following descriptive disclosure taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a friction operated wheel having a plurality of radially disposed magnetic sealing elements, each of said elements having associated therewith a spring actuated push plate,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the friction operated wheel shown in Fig. 1 and further showing the manner of engagement of the push plate with the spout of a container,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view, broken away in part, of a magnetic sealer element showing the manner of rernoving a sealer cap from the confining channel,

Fig. 4 is a front view, broken away in part, showing the manner of inserting a sealer in a spout of a cntainer,

Fig. 5 is a modification, broken away in part, of the push plate shown in Figs. 1 and 2 wherein roller elements are disposed on the push plate,

Fig. 6 is a top view, bro-ken away in part, of a container on a conveyor between a pair of guide rails and showing the manner in which the rollers of the push plate of Fig. 5 engage the front end of the container, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective side elevation, broken away in part, of a magnetic sealer element of Fig. 5 and showing the manner in which one of the rollers rides on the top of the can.

Referring to the drawings, a plurality of containers 1 are disposed upon the conveyor 2. A rotary Wheel 3 provided with a plurality of magnet holding sealer elements 4 is disposed over the conveyor in a manner that the magnetic elements 4 are disposed in linear relation over the spout openings 5 of containers 1.

A plurality of cylindrical tubes 6 are cast into the wheel surface 3 proper (Fig. 2). In the modification shown in this invention six cylindrical tubes are employed, but the invention is obviously not to be limited to this particular number since more or less tubes may be disposed in the wheel 3. The wheel 3 is journaled onto a shaft 7, which shaft is disposed in a vertical support block it. The support block 8 is disposed upon a vertical standard 9 of such height that a predetermined relationship is effected between the magnet holding eletes atent Q 2,757,496 Patented Aug. 7, 1956 ment 4 and the neck or spout opening 5 of the container 1. A friction brake 10 having a curvatured lower brake surface is disposed upon shaft 7. A leaf spring 11 is secured by means of a screw 12 to said friction brake 10 in a manner that a downward braking force is exerted on shaft '7, thereby preventing free rotation of said shaft 7.

The cylindrical tubes 6 are of such diameter as to receive the magnet holding rods 4. The magnet holding rods 4- are provided with a fiat face 13 adapted to receive set screws whereby said magnet holders 4 are locked in said tube 6. This locking of magnet holder 4 in tube 6 is eflected by a pair of screws 14 associated with each of the tubes 6. A magnet 15 is disposed in the exposed end of the magnet holder and is of such strength as to attract, withdraw and hold a sealer cap from a sealer cap retaining element 16.

Each of the cylindrical tubes is provided with a side flange it? disposed forwardly of the wheel 3 and substantially perpendicular to the plane of said wheel 3. A pair of detachable locking plates 18 are secured to the outer portion of flange 117 by means of a pair of thumb screws 19. An L-shaped push plate 20 is slidingly secured between flange 17 and locking plates 18. The lower leg of the L-shaped push plate is adapted to engage the protruding neck or spout 5 of container 1, said protruding spout being disposed on the top of the container (Fig. 2).

A tension spring 21 is disposed on a. first pillar 22 secured on the forward end of the flange 17 and a second pillar 23 on the long leg of the L-shaped push plate 29 adjacent the end 24, which end protrudes beyond the flange 17. Clearly the function of spring 21 is to push the push plate 2.0 radially outwardly to the extreme position where pillar 23 engages the innermost wall 25 of flange 1'7 (Fig. 2).

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, the magnet holding element 4 is caused to rotate in front of sealer cap retaining element 16. The element 16 is provided with a guide rail 27 upon which the lower arm 26 of L-shaped push plate 29 rides. The front of the guide rail 27 is provided with a depending slope portion 17x, said slope being of a predetermined angular degree. The sealer retaining element In is provided with two side confining rails 28 and 29 upon which the seal caps 30 slide. Each of these confining rails 28 and 29 are sloped downwardly and provided at their lowermost end with a confining leaf spring 31, said leaf spring 31 being adapted to engage the sealer caps from both sides at a point below the diameter of said sealer caps (Fig. 3). This arrangement of the sealer retaining channel permits the caps to be retained in their confining channel by the pair of springs 31, said springs having sufficient tension to prevent the free flow of the sealer caps 30 under the force of gravity, yet not being of such tension as to prevent their removal by magnet 15.

in the operation of the modification shown in Figs. l4, the containers 21 disposed on the moving conveyor belt 22 are conveyed below the rotator wheel 3, whereupon the leg 26 of push plate 20 engages the neck or spout 5 of said containers. The force of the moving container causes rotation of the wheel 3 in a counter-clockwise manner against the friction effected by friction brake 10. As the magnet holding element 4 assumes a vertical position relative to the spout opening 5, the sealer 3t] disposed on the magnet holding element 4 is inserted into the opening of said spout 5 and secured thereto due to frictional forces. As the magnet holding element 4 passes beyond or to the right of the vertical position, the magnet holding rod 4 is separated from the sealer since the sealer is frictionally retained by the inner wall surfaces of spout 5.

During this process of sealing, the push plate 20 is being pushed radially inwardly toward the axis of shaft 7, thereby permitting a constant force upon the arm 26 of push plate 2t) although the lower surface of said arm 20 is travelling linearly relative to the conveyor surface 2. In short, push plate 20 slides radially inward between flange 17 and locking plates 13 as the spout passes under the rotary wheel, at the same time effecting rotation of said rotary wheel 3. This linear or straight line movement of the lower arm 26 when in engagement with the spout is possible because of the action of the spring 2.1. in association with the slide forming elements and Therefore the diflerence in the distance between the circumferential travel of push plate 2%, if unconfined, and the travel of said push plate 2.9 as confined to a linear relationship is translated into an extension of the spring 21 during the time of engagement of push plate 2% and spout 5.

Another modification of this invention is shown in Figs. -7. in this modification the L-shaped push plate of Figs. i-4 is replaced by a plate 32 having a conical wheel 33 disposed at its lowermost end and a cylindrical Wheel 34 disposed in spaced relation to said conical wheel 33. The roller Wheel 34- is adapted to engage the top edge of a container whereas the conical wheel is adapted to engage the leading or front edge of a container. The wheel 33 is journaled into plate 32 by a shaft 35, and the wheel 34 is journaled to said plate 32 by a shaft 36.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the spout 37 of the container 1 is disposed in a recessed top wall 38. As shown in the modification of Figs. 1-4 inclusive, a spring 39 is disposed between a first pillar 40 associated with the extreme inner edge 41 of push plate 32 and a second pillar 42 disposed on a forward portion of flange 43, said flange 43 being secured to said cylindrical tube 6.

in the operation of the modification shown in Figs. 5-7, the forward wall of the container 1 engages the tip of the conical roller 33 at a point below the top edge of the container 1 While the cylindrical roller 34 engages the inside rim or bead of said container 1 (Fig. 7). As the container 1 moves to the right (Fig. 5), the magnet holding rod 4 with its sealer cap 30 secured thereto by magnet assumes a vertical linear alignment with spout 37, thereby frictionally depositing the sealer 39 into said spout 37. As the movement of the container 1 progresses beyond the point of vertical alignment of elements 6 and 37, the magnet holding rod 4 moves away from the spout deposited in the sealed container 1. In this modification, as in the first modification shown in Figs. l4, the movement of the push plate 32 is disposed inwardly so that the otherwise arcuate travel of the rollers 33 and 34 are caused to move in a linear manner parallel to the top surface of the conveyor belt 2. By effecting the inward travel of push plate 32, the forward motion of container 1 is translated into rotary motion of the friction sealer 3 in a uniform manner.

This invention has been illustrated by means of a plurality of embodiments but it is not to be restricted to these illustrative embodiments since it is of a more generic scope as defined in the claims appearing hereinafter.

Having described my invention, what i claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A rotary friction operated cap sealer actuated by linearly moving containers having necks and disposed upon a conveyor comprising, a rotatable wheel frictionally secured to prevent free rotation, a plurality of magnet i'ioidcrs radially disposed on said Wheel and adapted to dispose sea or caps into the openings of said necks, and a plurality of spring loaded linearly movable push plates each associated with one of said magnet holders and each adapted to engage a neck of one container whereby said push plates pushingly rotate said Wheel, and in engagement with said neck have sliding movement axially of the wheel thereby translating the linear motion of each container into rotational motion of the wheel while a sealer cap is being inserted into said neck opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a pair of rollers disposed on said push plates, one of said rollers being a conical roller adapted to engage the front wall of said container and the other of said rollers being a cylindrical roller adapted to engage a top rim of said container.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising tubular means integral with said wheel for holding said magnet holders with each of said tubular holders having a side flange, and a pair of locking plates removahly secured to each of said flanges ror slidingly securing said push plates to said wheel.

4. A rotary friction operated cap sealer actuated by linearly moving containers having necks and disposed upon a conveyor comprising, a rotatable wheel frictionally secured to prevent free rotation, a plurality of magnet holders radially disposed on said wheel and adapted to dispose sealer caps into the openings of said necks, means for gravitationally feeding said sealer caps into juxtaposition relative to said magnet holders, spring means on said gravitational feeder for effecting escapement of one sealer cap at a time, and a plurality of spring loaded slidable push plates each associated with one of said magnet holders and each adapted to engage a neck of one container whereby said push plates pushingly rotate said wheel, thereby translating the linear motion of the containers into rotational motion of the wheel while a sealer cap is being inserted into said spout opening.

Hawthorne Oct. 16, 1917 Tesch June 10, 1952 

